Does wiring inside the wall raise the cost of an Ottawa wall removal?

Wiring inside a wall does raise the cost of removing it, because an electrician has to be involved before the wall comes down and again after the framing is gone. That work sits outside carpentry scope, so the figure you were quoted for the carpentry alone may not cover it.

What drives the added cost is how the wiring is used. A wall that carries circuits running through it to other parts of the house needs those circuits rerouted before anything is touched. A wall with only a receptacle or switch may need less rerouting, but the panel, the circuit load and where the wire runs all affect how much electrical work is involved. None of that is something a carpenter decides or prices.

What the carpentry quote should cover

A fair carpentry quote for a wall removal itemises each of these separately:

• design (beam, posts and load path, by a qualified registered designer, an engineer, or you for a house you own)
• the building permit
• temporary support while the beam goes in
• materials (beam, posts, hardware, patching lumber)
• labour for removal, beam installation and framing
• patching and finishing (drywall, trim)
• disposal

The electrical work, and any patching the electrician leaves behind, will appear on a separate invoice from a licensed electrician. Ask each trade to spell out exactly where their scope starts and stops, so nothing falls between the two quotes.

One practical point: the carpenter and the electrician need to coordinate the order of work. The electrician typically needs access before the wall framing is removed, and may need to return after the beam is in. Ask the carpenter how they plan to sequence that, and whether they will coordinate directly with the electrician or whether you need to manage that yourself.

The most useful person to start with is the carpenter, who can walk the wall, identify what is in it and tell you which trades need to be involved before a price for the whole job makes sense.